10 TV Shows That Started Off Great And Then Went Bad

As someone who is obsessed with TV, I can tell you guys that it’s really easy for a TV show to fail, especially a TV show that is on for more than a couple of seasons. So many things can go wrong. Character development can get seriously weird, beloved stars might end up leaving the show due to behind-the-scenes problems, or characters might sometimes just end up flat and boring. And when it comes to the plot, forget about it. Usually plot lines either get boring and repetitive, or ridiculous and completely unrealistic. Any of these things can end up alienating even the most devoted fans.

Obviously, it’s really difficult to create an amazing show that is on for a long time and that always manages to leave people wanting more. Past shows that have accomplished this (for me, at least) were Gilmore Girls, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Friends, and Friday Night Lights. But there are a lot of shows that I started watching, became completely obsessed with… and then ended up ditching or being disappointed in because they became so awful. Here are 10 TV shows that started off great and then went bad. PS: if you haven’t seen the show and don’t want spoilers, don’t read the slide!

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Gossip Girl

I was completely obsessed with the Gossip Girl books, and so I was SO excited when I heard they were going to be a TV show. The first and even second season of Gossip Girl was so great - it was a bit soap opera-y, but it still had intriguing plot lines and all of the characters were deliciously terrible and of course, beautiful. I looked forward to it every week. Then suddenly... it got ridiculous. Everyone hooked up with everyone. Serena made me want to pull my hair out every time she spoke. Dan became infuriating. Jenny left. Completely unrealistic things happened, like Chuck's dad pretending to be dead, Nate being in charge of a website (NATE?! Come on), and Blair becoming a princess. It was just too much. I loyally watched it until the end, but really I was hate-watching it.

Glee

After the second season of Glee aired, I had heard so many good things about it that I gave it a shot... and watched it all within two weeks. I LOVED it. It was funny, sassy, had interesting characters, and was different from most other shows out there. I was so excited to watch the rest of us. But Glee quickly disappointed me. Things just got weird. I am ALL for gay rights, but it felt like Ryan Murphy had taken Glee and made it a platform to discuss only that issue in a way that annoyed a lot of people. I also hated what they did to Sue. One season, she was the mean teacher we all loved to hate, and the next, she was trying to kill students. What? That's ridiculous. I stopped watching it a few seasons ago and never went back, so I don't know what other things that gone down since then.

Lost

When I started watching Lost, I was so obsessed that I literally re-watched the seasons I had missed three times before it aired again. Three times! (I basically know everything about that show) It was amazing and I couldn't get enough. It was so different and mysterious! Then, all of the sudden, Lost just became... insane. There were way too many characters to keep track of. Everything went from seeming almost-a-little realistic to things that made you go, "Wait, seriously?" The smoke monster should have tipped us all off, but the fans of Lost were loyal... but the ending of the show was confusing and disappointing. In all seriousness though... they really never should have left the island.

The O.C.

I will always have a lot of love for The O.C. It's an amazing teen drama with one of the best casts ever, in my opinion. Well, it was... until Season 4, after Marissa died. At first, The O.C. was soap opera-y in the best possible way. The characters were so lovable, it was funny and serious at the same time, and we all had someone to root for. But when they went off to college, and Marissa was out of the picture, things just went downhill. I wish The O.C. could come back and restart from the beginning of Season 3. I honestly do.

True Blood

It pains me to say this, but True Blood has become a really bad show. When it first started, I was fanatically obsessed with it. I watched episodes on repeat, bought all of the DVDs, and constantly talked about Sookie and Eric like they were real people (ugh, not Bill). True Blood started getting over-the-top ridiculous with the season about the witches, but what really made me lose it was when they got all into The Authority and the fairy world. Honestly, season 6 made me stop watching. I just couldn't get into it anymore. All of the stuff about The Authority was so stupid!

Jersey Shore

HEAR ME OUT. Some may say Jersey Shore was always terrible, and they are right. It was. But in the beginning, Jersey Shore was the kind of terrible you couldn't stop watching, even though you wanted to. It was like watching the most hilarious trainwreck - you couldn't stop. Everything the cast members did was ridiculous, insane, and funny in a sort of sad way. In the first season, these guys weren't famous yet - the stuff they did was authentic, and that's what we all liked about it (we couldn't believe humans could be that way). But then as the cast got more famous, the show got more fake. By the time they went to Italy, it was obvious that none of them were even that into it anymore. A lot of the plot lines seemed forced, and watching Ronny and Sammi's abusive relationship became more sad than entertaining. By the time it was over, I think we all sighed a big breath of relief.

The Office

The Office was one of the best shows ever, until Steve Carrell. I WISH HE NEVER LEFT. This show was so funny that I would literally be in tears by the end of every episode. The characters were endearing and you couldn't help but love Michael Scott even though everything he did was utterly ridiculous. But by the last season Steve Carrell was on it, it had just gotten... old. The jokes weren't as good, things were falling flat. And we all knew it would be over when Michael Scott was no longer in the picture. And we were right. I love Will Ferrell, but it just wasn't the same.

Family Guy

I'm still sort of a fan of Family Guy, but even I can admit it hasn't been good in a long time. The jokes are overplayed and old - it feels like we've heard them all before on past episodes. And all the anti-gay stuff? Ugh. Also, Family Guy does this thing where they take a joke and stretch it for so long that after five minutes, you're like, "wait, this is still happening?" In the beginning, everyone loved Family Guy because it was funny in the most offensive way possible. Now, it's just not that great.

Dexter

I've never watched Dexter, but I always planned to start... until it ended, and the Internet collectively yelled screams of disappointment. Apparently, Dexter started out amazing, but ended terribly. I still might watch it though.

One Tree Hill

I loved One Tree Hill when it first started! The characters were great, and it was a little dramatic, but it was a nice escape. Then, it just basically became a soap opera. I couldn't deal with everyone being moody and miserable all the time. I think what really made me stop watching it was the character of Nathan's dad. Everything he did, I would scream at the TV like, "THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN." And then they basically got a new cast and everyone was 10 years older? It was just too weird and never worked for me. I'll never understand how it was on for so long.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer got bad as soon as Dawn came. I still get angry when I think about how the show ended.

llewd

I 100% agree on the office. I was a huge fan, after Steve Carell left I gave it a chance, but I only made it one more season. I did watch the finale because I read he was coming back. Two and a Half Men was never good, nor is the Big Bang Theory. Two Broke Girls also suffers from the same ailment — setup – obvious unfunny punchline – laugh track – rinse – repeat. I also agree Family Guy has started slipping, it’s pretty hit n miss. South Park continues to blaze strong, I was only 12 when they started.. I feel old now.

Maria

I TOTALLY AGREE ON TWO AND A HALF MEN, I MEAN CMON ‘ IT WAS THE BEST SHOW COMEDY STCOM ON AMERICA, AS SOON AS CHARLIE LEFT IT JUST HORRIBLE. CHARLIE SHOUD HAVE NEVER LEFT :((( I MISS CLASICAL TWO AND A HLAF MEN WITH CHARLIE +ALAN+JAKE= IT WAS PERFECT . THEY SHOULD JUST CANCEL THE SHOW ALREADY. OR HAVE CHARLIE COME BACK. !

tired

Yeah glees season three was a bit dissapointing but man seasons 4 and 5 are the best. It has improved, like a lot. Also ALL shows change over the years, even friends did, but that doesnt mean change is always bad. For example, the big bang theory has changed to better, it is much less sexist, glee has changed and now its more entertaining… So, we should get rid of this idea.

Cat

I feel like a lot of shows go on for too long. I want a story that ends and ends well. I don’t want to be forced to continually watch forever because I fell in love with a character or theme.
Now I can’t be hooked on forever like I used to. Once a show starts to lose my interest, I just stop watching.
I loved Glee so much. I loved the characters and still do, but the magic it once had diminished. It makes me sad.

Melinda

How I Met Your Mother should be on this list too.. I absolutely adore seasons 1-6 and I constantly re-watch those seasons, but season 7 got really lame and season 8 is unbearably unfunny, so I’m not even watching it anymore.

Marina

I totally agree with you on Glee, I absolutely loved the first two seasons, three was pretty good and then after that it was just terrible. Pretty Little Liars should be on this list too, but it isn’t finished yet and is actually getting good again now.

Sneha

doctor who should’ve been on the list tbh

Aria

I agree about Gossip Girl, but Jenny needed to go. She was the most boring, whiny and simply annoying character. In both books and TV show.

jenny

I’m still a massive family guy fan. I’ll admit its not as funny as it originally was but I still find it so funny!

I agree with almost everything you have except…LOST! That show was pure genius and I have yet to find another show on TV with that level of writing.

Shelby

You forgot Degrassi!!

YuiGyaruRamen

Truth with “The Office”. As soon as Steve left, I was like “Ok, they show is over, time to watch something else.” xD

bullied_nation

The oc and glee are okay. When i was younger i would get with my siblings and sing the theme song of the oc, which is at least half of the reason why that show is so great. the rest of these shows are horrible. Dexter started okay, but its kind of disturbing that he kills ppl. true blood has to be misnomer–true LUST seems about right.

Jeanne

Dexter was amazing up until the end of season 7-season 8, which were the last two seasons of the series. But seasons 1-6 was great! The plot was riveting and it kept you wanting to watch more, since every episode left with a cliffhanger, and because of the fact that there are a maximum of 12 episodes per season. It’s definitely worth watching if you haven’t yet.